


Road To Discovery

by Skylar0Grace



Category: Dark Angel
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-02-07
Updated: 2010-02-07
Packaged: 2017-12-04 18:17:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 21,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/713610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skylar0Grace/pseuds/Skylar0Grace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes the thing you’re looking for is right in front of your face.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so this is the first DA fic I worked on and is old in terms of my writing style. One day I'll get around to redoing it but until then, you can all check out what I was originally doing :)

* * *

“How are we on electricity?” Max asked, looking up from the papers on her desk.

“Well, Dix has got it restored to half the city but give him time and he can get the other half up,” Alec replied, sifting through the bundle of papers sitting on his lap.

“Alright, what about food supplies?”

Alec cringed. “They’re getting low. Really low.”

Max tilted her head to the side. “Your suppliers aren’t coming through?”

“Aww, come on Maxie, it’s been two months. Those that hadn’t seen the siege have definitely seen it now. They’ve seen the flag rising and read the news reports. They won’t work with me anymore.” Max sighed and put her head in her hands.

“How bad is it?” she asked. Alec sat up straighter.

“A couple of weeks, maybe three. Don’t worry too much, I have a couple of ideas. Give me ‘til tomorrow and I’ll update you then.” Alec stood up and Max looked up at him from her desk.

“I’ll go chase down my leads. Maybe you should get an hour of sleep. You look like crap,” he added with a smirk. Max glared as Alec left her office lightly chuckling.

Max sat at her desk for a moment longer, thinking about the past two months. After the flag rising, they had started running TC like an independent city. Mole called for a leader and, surprisingly, recommended Max. The city agreed on the condition that Alec was her 2IC. Mole stood in as a rep for the transhumans. The police presence, oddly enough, had reduced when it became apparent that they would not attack. There was a crowd of ordinaries outside the gates still, none daring to cross the invisible barrier, not only because of the fear of contamination but the sentries TC had placed just inside the gates. Rotated regularly, they helped keep trouble out and help refugees get in. For the past two months they had had a steady flow of refugees. Everyone had gotten together and helped repair buildings the best they could to make them habitable. One or two of the more unstable buildings had been torn down and the good materials used for repairs. All in all, they were surviving well.

Max hadn’t even realised she had fallen asleep until she was woken with a loud yelling.

“Alec!” Dix shouted. “Alec! Max is in trouble!”

Max stood up and went to her door, confused. She didn’t think she was in trouble but she was still a little groggy. She looked over to where Mole and Dix were standing in front of a monitor of the front gate.

“Why did she go outside the gates? She’s the one that needs to stay in here the most. Her face has been all over the news; they know her,” Mole complained. Max saw Alec blur to the screen. He took one look and sprung into action.

“That’s not Max, that’s Sam. Get a team prepped and ready. We’re going out there.” He picked up a shotgun from the table and turned towards Max’s office. Seeing her standing there, a smile lit his face.

“Let’s go get your sister!” he said, striding quickly toward her.

“How did you know it wasn’t me?” Max asked confused. Alec smirked.

“I’d know you anywhere Max,” he replied and turned around to the team that had assembled behind him.

“Alright. We’re going out to get Max’s sister, Sam. As usual, we don’t want any casualties. You all know your positions. Fall out.”

Max and Alec strode towards the front gate. Sam was surrounded by a group of angry ordinaries, all pointing weapons and shouting at her. Even from where Max was she could tell Sam was angry and very close to retaliating.

“Hey!” Max yelled drawing the attention of the crowd and making Sam pause. All eyes turned to her and to Alec who was standing just behind Max shotgun raised before they all turned quickly back to Sam.

“Hey!” Max yelled again. “Trust me, you won’t win this one. Let my sister go and you can all go back to protesting.”

“One of you is bad enough. Now we have to see two of you? I don’t think so,” yelled a man from the crowd, stepping menacingly toward Sam. Sam’s fists bunched even tighter.

“You have an extremely pissed transgenic who could take you all out without trying,” Max said. The man didn’t seem phased. “You have me standing not too far away, and I’m promising you that if she is harmed in any way, I’m coming down on you like a ton of bricks.” The man didn’t take his eyes off of Sam but scoffed in Max’s direction.

“You don’t scare me!” he said, almost laughing.

“Well then, if you’re not scared of me, what about the army standing behind me?” The man turned to Max laughing until several sentries stepped out from their positions weapons raised. Seeing they were most certainly outnumbered, he slowly lowered his weapon.

“Good move!” Max replied smiling sarcastically. Once enough guns were lowered, Sam blurred to Max’s side.

Turning around and walking back into TC, Max and Sam strode purposefully inside, ignoring the crowd who had once again started shouting at the gates. After Max and Sam walked past him, Alec lowered his gun and signalled the rest to lower their weapons until only the sentries were left once again standing guard at the gate.

“So, what brings you to our neck of the woods?” Alec asked Sam as they walked in, a smirk planted on his face.

“You’re kidding right? My face got plastered all over the news, my family was hunted down. I couldn’t protect them anymore so I sent them somewhere safe and came down here. I need to help you sort out this mess ASAP so I can get back to my family. Trust me, I wouldn’t have come otherwise.”

“We’re doing the best we can,” Max said with an edge to her voice, turning to face Sam.

They had reached Command and a small crowd had gathered around them to see the new arrival that looked identical to their leader.

“Well maybe your best just isn’t good enough!” Sam spat back. Fire flared in both women’s eyes. Alec stepped between them, facing Max, one hand on her arm.

“Dante. Do you think you can find a place for Sam to stay?” Alec asked, never taking his eyes from Max. Max felt the heat in his eyes from his challenge to back down but the warmth from his hand calmed her. She glanced at Sam and saw Sam staring at her with an eyebrow raised.

“Sure. We have a few spare rooms. You can either take one of those or share with someone,” Dante replied.

“I’ll take a single for now.”

Sam stepped over to the transhuman who was a dark red from head to toe. He had two very small horns on his head and a few bone plates running down his back. He lasted well in hot climates and didn’t need much sleep. Despite his menacing appearance, he was a big softie like Joshua and Max had loved working with him. He had headed up the housing sector, keeping an eye on the residents and the viable buildings.

“I can show you now. Is that all you have?” he asked, gesturing to the backpack over her shoulder.

Sam nodded. With one last look at Max, she turned and followed Dante. The crowd silently dispersed, leaving their leaders to talk.

“Max, what was that?” Alec whispered calmly.

“We had a disagreement,” Max said dismissively, shaking his hand off of her arm before she turned away and walked into her office.

* * *

Alec sighed and returned to his own office, closing the door softly behind him. He paced momentarily before opening the door again and walking down the street to housing. Before he reached the first district, Alec ran into Dante.

“Hey Alec. I’m on my way back to command.”

“Yeah man, listen, where did you put Sam?”

Dante gave a small frown before replying with a smile again. “Over in the building on Peterson. 3E. I just got the building secure last week.” He wore a proud grin and Alec gave him a slap on the back.

“I’m sure you did an excellent job! Thanks man!”

Alec moved quickly and hoped Sam hadn’t left her apartment yet. Racing up the stairs three at a time, Alec found himself at the door to 3E. He knocked and waited. He couldn’t hear any movement inside and he was just about to knock again when the door flew open, a cautious Sam standing in the doorway.

“Hey, can we talk?” he asked, stepping into the apartment and not waiting for an answer.

Alec moved past her and stood in the living room. Her backpack was open on the table in the centre of the room, clothes spilled out and bed linen on top.

“Sure,” Sam replied sarcastically. She closed the door quietly and reached for an open packet of cigarettes on the kitchen counter. Lighting one, she watched Alec watching her.

“I don’t do booty calls,” she said. Alec frowned in confusion.

“What? What are you talking about?”

Sam shook her head. “I’m not Max. So whatever you have going on with her, you wont be getting from me.”

Alec looked genuinely confused. “Max is my CO.”

Sam raised an eyebrow. “Okay then. What do you want?” she asked.

Alec sighed. “I’m sorry about your family. But we’re doing the best we can in this situation and though you’re welcome to stay as long as you want, you’ll need to fight with us. We can’t have people working against us this time.”

“Why’re you taking orders from her?” Sam asked angrily. “She’s the one that left. Her and the other rugrats. You, better than most others, shouldn’t trust her. You were there; you know what Manticore did to us when they left.”

“Exactly!” Alec cut her off. “It’s what Manticore did to us, not them. It wasn’t their fault, they didn’t know.”

“Why are you defending her? Manticore put us through hell because they left. Tortured and brainwashed in an attempt to ‘simplify’ us. Don’t you remember that?”

“Of course I remember that. I also remember being brought back to Psy-Op’s when Ben started killing people for round two. You wouldn’t know that,” he retorted angrily, “your twin didn’t go crazy!” Alec tried to calm himself. “I haven’t forgotten what they did to me, so doesn’t it tell you something that I am standing up with Max despite that?” Sam continued to glare. “She’s a good person. When she found out what she had left behind, she came back, even though she knew I was corralling her back there, and set everyone free, burning Manticore to the ground. We may not be in the best situation right now but she is trying to do what is right. For all of us.” Alec stared at her.

“What do you mean you were corralling her in? They sent you to find her?” Sam asked. Alec sat down in a chair at the table. Sam paused momentarily before sitting down herself opposite him.

“Kind of. They put a retrovirus in her system targeted at Logan’s DNA so they could kill Eyes Only. My mission was to help her escape and then bring her back to Manticore with the hope of a cure for Logan. It didn’t matter if he died; they just wanted him to stop broadcasting because he was getting too close. They had her in Psy-Op’s for a long time but she wouldn’t give up any information so they had to use her. She still has the virus, which is why she can’t touch Logan.”

“How did they recapture her?” Sam asked.

“She came back with a few of her brothers and sisters and blew up the DNA lab. But Max and her brother Zack got caught in the woods and she caught a bullet in the heart. Zack wouldn’t let her go though; he shot himself in the head so she could have his heart.”

Sam frowned. “But why would they think she would follow you and escape. She had to know it was a trap.”

Alec shook his head. “You don’t get it. She didn’t know what happened to us. Still doesn’t really know. I only told her we were in Psy-Op’s for six months. They had already paired us off as breeding partners, though she kicked my ass when I told her that.” Alec said smiling for the first time since he entered the apartment. Sam smirked and Alec turned to Sam with a serious look on his face.

“Listen. Get to know her first before you make any decisions but know you only have two options: you either fall in line and join us or you leave. If you leave Max will look out for you, that’s just who she is but let me know what you decide.” Alec stood up to go and Sam stubbed out her cigarette before turning to Alec.

“Why aren’t you leading anyway? From what I heard back at Manticore, it was what you were born to do.”

Alec shrugged. “Maybe so. But Max is better.”

Sam stared after him thoughtfully as he left the room and headed back to Command.


	2. Chapter 2

* * *

Over the next few weeks Sam kept an eye on Max and TC. She started out by helping Joshua look after the young children and Joshua was more than happy to have her help. Sam knew she didn’t really get on well with people but kids she understood. Children didn’t care whether they saw who you were or not and transgenic children were no different.  
  
Joshua had nothing but praise for his ‘little fella’ and it seemed that everyone that Sam spoke to said the same thing. She was tough but fair with the population and if anyone got the wrath of Max, it was usually Alec. She learnt that almost daily they had one big spat and at least weekly it got so heated that she would put him down on his ass.   
  
Only once that TC knew about did Alec retaliate and even Mole had said that it was the most violent argument he had seen between them and the first time he had seen Max fearful of her 2IC. It had been a particularly bad day and Alec had returned from a mission with a wounded man. Max had laid into him harder than usual and it had led to a huge argument with Max forced to submit by a very angry Alec.  
  
Sam eventually found a routine. She helped Joshua out during the day; and at lunch and in the late afternoons she helped out around Command, occasionally with Max but more often with Alec crunching the numbers. Sam had excelled in Tactical at Manticore and often helped Max and Alec plan the jobs.  
  
Two months after arriving in TC, Sam found Max on top of the tallest building in TC. She had noticed Max disappearing, especially when she needed a cool off. She finally asked Alec, and though reluctant, he told her that Max needed to be in a high place sometimes, though he wouldn’t specify. She found Max sitting on the roof, looking out over TC.  
  
“What do you need Sam?” Max asked without turning around.  
  
“How did you know it was me?” Sam asked sitting beside Max and looking out over the city.   
  
Max shrugged. “You didn’t smell like Alec so that left you. No one else would follow me up here.”  
  
“You know Alec’s scent?” Sam raised her eyebrows and Max continued to look out over TC.  
  
“What do you need?” she asked again.   
  
Sam frowned. “I don’t need anything. Thought you might like company.”   
  
Both women sat in silence. Max looked out over the city and watched the inhabitants below. It wasn’t the Space Needle but while she was trapped here, it was the best place she could find. Max closed her eyes and sighed.  
  
“You are doing a good job here,” Sam offered in peace. “The city is going well despite being under siege. It was entirely probable that they would be fighting amongst themselves but you have set up schooling and jobs for everyone; they have jobs to keep them occupied and a sound governing body. You’ve done well.”  
  
“I didn’t do it on my own. Everyone helped.”  
  
“I’m sorry for reacting badly when I first got here. I was a bit of a bitch, though I understand we have that in common.”  
  
“We didn’t know,” Max said quietly and Sam’s smile fell; she knew what Max was talking about. Before she could respond, Max continued. “We would have come back sooner had we known. I know Alec well enough to know that he only brushed the surface. My reindocrination wasn’t fun and I guess it wasn’t any better for you.”  
  
“Don’t feel sorry for me. If you are going to feel sorry for someone, feel sorry for Alec. I am surprised he still functions after what they put him through and I can’t believe that he even cares about others. You see, for some reason, Lydecker went easier on me. I still had to go through Psy-Op’s and what not but I felt like he was stopping me from becoming a shell. The others didn’t get that. I don’t know why.”  
  
“It’s because of his wife. She was apparently the inspiration in creating us. Some of her DNA. It seems that we have her eyes.” Max rolled her own.  
  
“Eww, creepy!”  
  
“Tell me about it!” Max looked back over the city. There was a small silence before Max stood on her feet.   
  
“I need to head back and go over some papers the Mayor sent over.”   
  
Sam nodded and stood. “Yeah, we have that food run next fortnight and I should go over the plans with Alec again. He said he had new information on the shifts changes.”   
  
Together they walked back to Command before separating to opposite sides of the room. Sam got Alec out of his office and they sat at the conference table going over blueprints.  
  


* * *

“Max!” Bugler yelled running through Command. Max’s door opened and her head popped out. She saw Alec and Sam sitting at the table alert. Alec shrugged and Max turned her attention to Bugler who reached her door.  
  
“What’s up buddy?” Max asked rubbing his head. Bugler smiled.  
  
“Some people just arrived and asked to see you.”   
  
Max stiffened and she saw Alec slowly reach for a shotgun from the chair beside him. He gave Max a small nod. Max started walking toward the gate but only managed a few steps before a group of people rounded the corner led by Dalton. Max stilled before running excitedly to them. Alec saw Zack at the front of the group and lowered his gun, turning his attention back to the blueprints.  
  
“Zack!” Max said, hugging him.  
  
“Hey Max,” he said softly, “I picked up a few strays on my way here.”   
  
Max looked behind him and surveyed the group. Krit and Syl stood beside Jace who was holding a baby in her arms. Jondy came up and hugged Max.  
  
“Hey baby sister. You’ve definitely grown up.” She pulled herself back to look at Max. “You’re still beautiful,” she said smiling. Suddenly she was pushed to the side by a tall handsome brunette man.  
  
“Hey baby girl! Don’t you have a hug for me?” he asked pouting.   
  
A huge smile lit up Max’s face. “Zane!” Max him in for a hug. “How have you been?”  
  
“Well, I found one of ours after you took down Manticore.” He gestured beside him to Brin.  
  
“Oh Brin! I’m so sorry for the way we ended things.”   
  
Brin cut her off with the wave of her hand. “I would have done the same thing,” she said into Max’s ear. Max was then bombarded by both Krit and Syl who threw their arms around Max together.  
  
“We thought you were dead,” Syl exclaimed sadly into Max’s ear.  
  
“Yeah, we saw you on the news and couldn’t believe our eyes. It wasn’t til Zack called us in that we found out what happened,” Krit said releasing Max from his hug.   
  
Max nodded as tears filled her eyes. Jace gave her a small smile and Max walked over and hugged her. Max pulled back the blue blanket to see the sleeping form of a baby in Jace’s arms.  
  
“Your nephew. I called him Max, just like I promised.”  
  
“Ben?” Max heard Syl whisper from behind her.   
  
Max turned around in time to see Alec and Sam lift their heads up from the blueprints. Krit gasped upon seeing Sam and Max saw the whole group turn to look at her. Max smiled.  
  
“Everybody, that is Alec, he’s my 2IC, designation 494. And that’s Sam, designation 453.” Both Sam and Alec nodded in their direction as the group walked towards them. They both stood up. “Guys, this is Jace, Krit, Syl, Jondy, Zane, Brin and Zack.”  
  
“Yeah, we’ve met before,” Alec said, reaching forward to shake Zack’s hand and unconsciously rub his neck with the other.   
  
Zack laughed. “Yeah, sorry bout that,” he said, pointing to Alec’s neck.   
  
Alec smirked and raised an eyebrow. “Hey, it was Maxie who dragged me into that trouble.”   
  
Max smacked the back of his head, ignoring his ‘Ow!’   
“Like you don’t get into enough trouble as it is. I’m always saving your ass!” The others in the room grinned at them, while Syl mouthed ‘Maxie?’ to Krit. Krit shrugged knowing full well that Ben had been the only one to call her that.  
  
“Always with the ass Maxie!” he said smirking at her.  
  
“Max,” Dix shouted from across the room, “Logan’s called, said he needs to speak to you.”   
  
The others watched as the smiles dropped from both Max and Alec’s faces. Sam smirked as everyone followed Max and Alec over to the monitors. Max sat down on the computer chair and her face filled the camera’s view.  
  
“Hey Logan. What’s up?” The others in the room watched Logan’s face brighten when Max sat down. A few had confused looks on their faces. They did however notice Krit scowl and Alec roll his eyes.  
  
“Hey Max,” Logan said softly. “How are you?”   
  
Max shifted slightly in her seat. “I’m fine Logan. What have you got?” Max asked a little quickly.   
  
Logan paused looking slightly confused before continuing. “I looked into those files you sent last week. Nothing really new there. Can’t find White anywhere, though I suspect if I did, it would just be another trap. I did however manage to track down a Japanese linguist who studies Minoan. As I said, the whole language hasn’t been deciphered yet but I sent him a file with the characters in it. He could translate most of it. I haven’t got it all yet but I have what he has sent over. It says,” Logan paused while he looked down at his notes, “something along the lines of ‘the blood of the chosen one is the only thing that can stop the coming. She will fight and save mankind, taking down the enemy’.”   
  
Logan looked up smiling at Max and she paused, waiting for him to continue. When he didn’t say anything, Max opened her mouth to speak, only to be beaten to it by Alec.  
  
“That’s all you have?” Alec exclaimed incredulously, rolling his eyes, before Max held a hand over his mouth to silence him. Everybody saw Logan’s features darken.  
  
“Was that Alec?” Max rolled her eyes and removed her hand allowing Alec to speak.  
  
“Logie, how’re you doing? Long time, no see!” he said with a huge grin on his face that implied anything but mirth. Logan looked around the screen but couldn’t see anything but Max.  
  
“Quite,” he replied shortly, frown obvious on his face.  
  
“Thanks for the update Logan.” Max gave him a small smile and she reached over to turn off the camera but was stopped by Logan’s voice.  
  
“Will I see you for dinner tonight?” he asked. Max stopped with a guilty look on her face.  
  
“Sorry Logan, I forgot. Zack rounded up the others and they just arrived. I think I’ll spend the night with them.” Max had an apologetic look on her face; Logan had a look of fear on his.  
  
“Zack’s there? Is that wise?”   
  
Max turned around to Zack who was standing behind her to the right. He nodded curtly. Max turned back to Logan with a big smile on her face.  
  
“Yeah. It’s fine.”   
  
Logan still looked panicked. “Are you sure?”   
  
The smile quickly fell from Max’s face and a look of hurt briefly flashed across her face before her Manticore mask fell into place.  
  
“I’m sure Logan,” Max replied a little coldly.   
  
Alec got up quietly, and obviously angry, from his seat next to Max and walked out of Command shaking his head. Krit heard him mutter something about Logan never trusting Max but Alec was aware of a transgenics hearing capabilities and purposely kept his voice low. Max gave a furtive glance to the now empty seat beside her before her attention was focused on Logan.  
  
“I’m actually really busy and I still have to catch up with everyone. Let me know if you come up with any more information or you get a hit on White’s location.”   
  
Logan audibly sighed, knowing something had gone wrong in his conversation. It seemed to be happening more often since she had been stuck in TC. Even though Max had come clean with him and told him of the farce that was her relationship with Alec, Logan still had trouble not seeing Alec as a threat.  
  
“Sure. I’ll keep you posted. Bye.”   
  
Logan’s ‘bye’ was cut off as Max turned off the camera. She paused for a second before turning around to her siblings smiling. She was met with a frown from both Zack and Krit, a sad look from Syl and puzzled looks from the rest.  
  
“So, you’re still with Logan I take it?” Zack asked stiffly.  
  
“Uh, yep,” Max said cheerily, which every single person in the room could tell was fake. She looked at the group, trying to avoid their eyes. “So, are you guys hungry? I haven’t had dinner yet. Do you wanna get something to eat?”  
  
“Sure we will,” Syl replied with a comforting smile that Max tried to ignore. Max walked past them and led the way to the cafeteria.   
  
“Does anyone know where Alec went?” Krit asked. He looked to Sam but Max spoke first.  
  
“Gym,” she replied in a tone which left no room for further discussion.   
  
Krit looked back over to Sam who bunched her fists up in a fighting pose. Krit nodded. As Jace walked forward and began talking to Max about TC, Krit asked Sam to show him the gym with hand signals. This action did not go unnoticed by Syl who shook her head whilst Sam nodded. Asking Syl to cover for him, Krit and Sam fell back and quietly snuck off in the direction of the gym. When they were out of earshot, Krit turned to Sam.  
  
“So, are they?” Krit asked Sam. Sam rolled her eyes and gave an exaggerated sigh.  
  
“Oh yeah. Neither will admit it though. I tried to talk to Alec about it when I first got here and he was just confused. Like the thought had never occurred to him.”  
  
“What’s up with Logan?” Krit asked.  
  
“Manticore fitted Max with a retrovirus specifically targeted to his DNA. If she touches him he dies. Definitely put a dampener on their relationship. A little while ago, Logan followed Max and saw Alec leaving her apartment. He jumped to the wrong conclusion so Max tried to keep him away by letting him believe she was with Alec. To his credit, he didn’t say anything to Logan but I hear he was pretty cheesed off to begin with. Even though Max told him it was a lie after the siege began, Logan still nearly has a coronary whenever Alec is around her.”  
  
“Well, when I last met him I have to admit I was not impressed. I never thought he was good enough for Max but you can’t choose who your sister dates,” Krit said a little heatedly. They rounded a building and saw the gym in front of them. Sam and Krit looked in the door and saw Alec sparring with another X5.  
  
“Wow, poor Richie,” Sam said, as Richie received two very powerful blows to the ribs that he was not fast enough to block. Alec had sweat running down his bare chest and looked furious.  
  
“I think I might go take over for him,” Krit said sympathetically. Sam nodded.  
  
“Richie!” Krit called out. “Mind if I take over?”   
  
Richie looked over a Krit with a relieved look on his face. He backed up slowly from Alec who stayed in a defensive position. Krit took off his jacket and faced off against Alec. Krit received blow after blow, most of which he managed to deflect, avoiding serious damage, and even a few that connected with Alec. Alec seemed to put more effort into preventing fatal blows than anything else and both men were exhausted by the end, Krit a little more so. He was sporting red marks which he was certain would bruise though he remained glad that Alec had shown restraint despite his obvious anger. Krit had noticed that Sam had left long ago and it was just he and Alec in the gym. Alec walked over to the bench and picked up his shirt using a towel to mop up the sweat on his body.  
  
“So, what had you so mad?” Krit asked Alec as he glanced sidelong at him. Alec paused before putting his shirt over his head.  
  
“Nothing. Just needed a bit of exercise.” Krit looked over at him and saw his Manticore mask firmly in place.  
  
“Oh, sorry. You were just laying into Richie and I had a feeling you were reluctantly holding back with me. Thought there must have been something behind it.” Alec looked over at him, his trademark smirk firmly in place.  
  
“Sorry man. Maybe you just need a bit of practice.” he replied good-naturedly as he slapped Krit on the back.   
  
Krit scoffed. “Sure. Okay. Well, Max took everyone for lunch. I don’t know about you but I am now starving. You wanna go down and get something to eat?”   
  
Alec waved his hand. “No thanks. I’ve got some plans to go over for a job next fortnight. I’ll see you later though. Nice to meet you.”   
  
Alec smiled at Krit and walked out of the gym. Krit smiled to himself and shook his head before leaving to find his family.

 


	3. Chapter 3

* * *

The cafeteria was the entire first floor of an office building. Before the pulse there was a small food court and the inhabitants of TC had cleared the space and knocked down a couple of walls to enlarge the area. Numerous round tables had been placed there and Fix-It and Luke had salvaged what they could from the previous stalls to create a functioning kitchen. They had even gotten a large freezer working which helped TC store perishable items. Joshua had originally taken to the cooking but had soon relinquished that when a few residents stepped forward to change the menu from macaroni and mini hotdogs. Old cook books had been found and with the high IQ’s of a few, regular meals were cooked for all. Today’s dinner was macaroni, Joshua’s favourite.

Max sat down with her food at one of the larger tables and was followed by her hungry brothers and sisters who quickly tucked into their food. Zane looked across at Max.

“How do you do it, Max?” 

An expression crossed his face that Max couldn’t decipher as he searched through his memories. Max frowned.

“You are going to have to be more specific than that.” 

An amused expression crossed the faces of everyone else at the table. Zane looked up a little confused.

“Not see Ben I mean.” 

Max visibly stiffened. She didn’t want to talk about Ben and most of them at the table didn’t know she had killed Ben. It was still something she kept very close to her and as she gave a furtive glance around the table, she doubted anyone else knew the truth.

“What do you mean?” Max managed to say, her voice cracking. She noticed Syl give her a small, sad smile and she panicked, wondering if they had found out. Zane noticed the change in Max’s tone and frowned.

“With Alec. I mean they look identical.” Max let out a deep breath she didn’t even realise she had been holding and relaxed the tense hold she had on her body.

“Oh! They’re nothing alike, trust me.” Max rolled her eyes. “I mean, when I first saw him, I thought it was Ben but then he opened his big, stupid mouth and that was it.” She shook her head and Zane laughed.

“He can’t be that bad. He seemed like a good guy,” Jondy said. 

Max rolled her eyes. “Just wait til you spend time with him. He drives me crazy!” 

Max continued eating her food, missing the raised eyebrow from Zane and the small smile from Jondy.

“So, how did everyone get here?” Max asked looking over the group seated before her. Jace spoke first.

“I headed out and bumped into Krit and Syl in Mexico.”

“Yeah, she was taking down a couple of guys who were a little too touchy-feely,” Syl said with a smile. “We hung around after that. She needed the help with Max coming.” 

Max nodded, a part of her proud for her siblings sticking together. Max looked to Zack. He seemed to take note of her gaze and sighed.

“I don’t blame you for sending me away Max,” Zack said looking in her eyes.

“I’m really sorry. I was just trying to…” 

Zack cut her off by raising his hand. “Don’t apologize. You did the right thing and I was only there til this siege began. Up until that point, I only had a few memories and they were in my dreams. When I saw you and Alec on the TV, I started remembering and Buddy filled in the rest. I thought you may need some help so I started looking for everyone again. Found Zane and Brin first and the others not too long after that. When we got to Mexico, I found someone from Psy-Op’s. She helped sort out my memories.” Max gave a big smile.

“Mia?” 

Zack turned his head slightly to the side. “Yeah, friend of yours?” 

Max shook her head softly while laughing. Everyone turned to her, surprised to hear her laughing so freely.

“Not really. She kept putting the whammy on me and Alec while she was here.” Zack raised his eyebrow.

“Eww! Not like that. When Alec first got out he was ring fighting for money. Monty Cora.” Max rolled her eyes. “She convinced the idiot to go back into the ring so she could save her boyfriend from some mobsters and kept making me forget she was Manticore so I wouldn’t stop him. I tried to get Alec to take a dive because he was drawing too much attention and the last time White caught his ass. But he was making too much money so he refused.” Zane suppressed a smile and looked knowingly at his baby sister.

“So how did you get him out?”

Max smiled devilishly. “I went into the ring and took him down. Didn’t play fair either.” 

Max looked around the table. Zane and Zack looked slightly pained while the others smiled. Max looked up as Sam walked past the table with a slightly worse for wear looking Richie. Max frowned.

“What happened to Richie?” Max asked Sam before she walked past them. Richie kept walking as Sam stopped and looked at Max.

“He was sparring with Alec. Krit took over though,” Sam replied. At Max’s raised eyebrows she shrugged. “Krit said he needed to blow off some steam. Something about sitting still too long and Alec was already letting off quite a bit of steam,” she finished, pointing a thumb in Richie’s direction. Max lowered her eyebrow and Sam left to get food.

“Were you guys driving for a while?” Max asked. 

Zack looked over at Syl quickly. They had stopped just outside of Seattle the night before so they only had a short distance to TC. Krit needing to blow off steam sounded like a blatant lie so he left it to Syl to field the question. Syl closed her eyes for a second thinking of how to answer Max without lying. She knew that Krit didn’t fight unless he needed to. He occasionally sparred but he was usually gentle. She had a feeling that his sparring with Alec would be anything but gentle.

“We stopped last night but had to make up the rest of the difference this morning,” she answered truthfully. Sam sat beside Max and Syl gave a quick glance at Richie who was favouring one arm.

“Does Alec usually beat up the others?” she asked pointing a finger at Richie. Max glanced over at him and shrugged.

“Don’t know. Sometimes he just says he needs to work out and disappears for a little while. I don’t think he meant to hurt Richie. I’d kick his ass if he did it deliberately.” 

She continued to watch Richie missing Sam rolling her eyes and the others casting knowing glances at Sam.

* * *

Alec was sitting in his office when there was a soft knock on the door.

“Come in,” he said, sifting through papers. He looked up to see Syl standing in the doorway.

“Hey Syl, what can I do for you?” He put aside his papers and she walked in carrying a bowl of food.

“Thought you might be hungry.”

“Thanks.”

“So, I heard you had a sparring match with Krit. He says you’re pretty good too,” Syl said as she sat down in the chair opposite his. Alec smirked.

“Well, that’s what I’ve heard.” Syl smiled at his brazenness. He was definitely nothing like Ben. 

“So, how long have you been in love with Max for?” Syl smiled again as Alec began to choke on the mouthful of food he had.

“What?” he managed to get out. Syl just looked at him pointedly. “I have no idea what you are talking about.” Syl laughed.

“We have only been here for a few hours and every single one of us has noticed.” 

“Noticed what?” he asked cautiously.

“They way you two look at each other, body language, etc.” 

Alec shook his head. “Well, I don’t know what you think you’ve been seeing but you’ve got it all wrong. Max is my CO. We have a VERY tenuous friendship which sometimes, from Max’s end, borders on incivility. I think you guys are seeing something that is simply just not there. Besides, she is dating Logan.” Syl held up her hands in surrender.

“Sorry, guess we misunderstood.” She stood up. “Hope you enjoy your dinner.” She turned and left his office, leaving Alec to ponder what on earth they thought they had seen.

* * *

Syl sat on top of the building looking down. She knew why Max loved it here. After all the stories Ben used to tell, it was comforting. Syl didn’t need to look behind her to know who was joining her. She smiled as Zack, Brin, Krit, Jace, Sam, Jondy and Zane sat down. They all looked out over TC. Sam was the first to speak.

“So, how did it go?” 

Syl laughed. “Oh yeah, Krit was right. He thought we were imaging things and gave me a list of reasons why we were crazy too. I guess it’s just obvious to everybody but them.” 

Krit winced as he spoke. “Kicked the crap out of me. He was just so damn angry.”

“Well, I like him better than Logan,” Sam said and was joined by groans of affirmation from everybody.

“She should just be happy,” Zack said quietly.

“Did you guys know that she knows his scent?” Sam asked.

“Are you kidding?” Jace asked enthusiastically giddy. Sam smiled and shook her head, laughing softly to herself.

“What’s the problem with that?” Zane said and Jace turned to him.

“Do you know us by our scents?” 

Zane shook his head. “But I haven’t spent a lot of time with you guys.” 

Jace laughed causing everybody to turn and look at her. “It has nothing to do with time. I’ve only met a few that knew each others’ scents. They were all mated couples and Manticore tried to pull them apart. When we went into heat, Manticore had us all locked down. I was 15 when two X5’s from my unit mated and Manticore hit the roof when they found out; sent them both into Psy-Op’s. They didn’t understand at the time that it didn’t help and eventually they had to separate them. Mating was seen as a weakness and it isn’t that common either. At least it wasn’t in Manticore.”

“But that doesn’t make sense,” Krit said confused.

“Mating is for life,” she explained, “It’s like finding your soul mate. It’s odd that she knows him by scent because he’s not her mate, it’s as though they have some of the effects of a mated couple but not all of them, obviously, because they’re not. I haven’t heard of that happening before. After that first couple mated, Manticore began to understand the implications, that all of that feline DNA was bound to have some side effects, like growling, purring, etc. When a mated female was in heat, none of the other X5’s went near her and I think we all know how hard it is to keep the sexes separated during heat. She was simply off limits. They were possessive of each other too and none of the mated couples could be sent on missions together because, instinctually, their mates came before the mission. Mating screwed up the perfect soldiers so fraternisation was off limits.”

“At least until the breeding program was started,” Sam continued, “One of the women here explained it to me. When you guys took out the DNA lab the only way to get back on their feet was to have the X5’s breeding. They selected your breeding partner based on genetic compatibility to produce the best offspring. It worked on most though a few of the mated couples resisted and the exception being Max and Alec.” 

Sam smiled. The others looked at her shocked.

“They were breeding partners?” Jondy asked. Sam continued smiling. 

“Yep,” she said almost gleefully. “And the only non-mated couple who resisted.” Zane laughed.

“Max right?” he asked. 

Sam laughed. “Yeah. Alec told me that he came in and explained the situation to her and Max was repulsed by the idea. She kicked him into the door and said, and I quote, ‘that is the only physical contact you and I are gonna have!’” Resounding laughter was heard and Sam paused before continuing. “I think that also says something about their relationship too.”

“What? That it was volatile from the beginning?”

“That he let her get away with it. There are more than a few X5’s here who were extremely upset over that whole situation. The males were told to get the job done one way or the other and they either had to use force or they faced the consequences. Alec lied to Renfro for Max; made her believe Max was complying. He would have been sent to Psy-Op’s again if Renfro found out he was lying.” Sam paused briefly before continuing.

“I’ve been in TC for a little while and they are always arguing but I think it’s mainly a defensive mechanism. I mean, he lets her beat down on him all the time.” 

Krit looked up surprised. “He must. Because there is no way that Max would have been able to take down that man I fought today. And he was holding back.” 

Sam laughed. “He always holds back. Except once.” Seven pairs of surprised eyes looked at her and Sam looked out over TC. “Mole told me it was after Alec got back from a mission. Said he was beating himself up for one of them getting shot. Non fatal, but blaming himself none the less. He said they had been hostile before Alec left and Max started in on him when he got back; blaming him for the accident and he snapped. Mole said he didn’t hurt her but he scared the hell out of her. I think when he returned she’d been scared that it could’ve been him.” Sam turned to look at them.

“I remember hearing about him back at Manticore. He was one of the best soldiers. Not only because he got the job done but because he survived; he’d been in Psy-Op’s more than any other solider. We went through hell after you guys left. Us twins. They tried to ‘simplify’ us.” Sam grew quiet and looked back over the city. “After Ben started killing people, they had to make sure it didn’t happen with Alec, that it wasn’t genetic. Another six months in Psy-Op’s. I remember being surprised he was still alive. He was everything they wanted him to be but he still managed to hold on to who he was. On one of his solo missions he finally slipped up and fell in love with the targets’ daughter. He tried to warn them about the bomb he’d planted but his handlers had already caught on that something was wrong. They blew them up anyway and took him back to Psy-Op’s.” Sam looked sideways and saw tears running down Syl’s face.

“I hadn’t met him til White sent me after Max. White wanted to trade my husband and son for Max. I hated her then but she got me back my family and Alec was the one who tried to make me stop hating her. He even cornered me once I had gotten here and told me to fall in line or get out.” Sam smiled and continued to look out over TC. “I asked him why he followed her. I mean, he was born to be a leader. Everyone knew 494 back at Manticore; aspired to be like him. He told me she was better and I knew then that he loved her.” Sam shrugged.

The eight of them looked out over TC, sitting in silence and thinking about what had been said.

“So what are we going to do?” Zane finally asked. They all smiled.


	4. Chapter 4

* * *

The day had not started off well. Once again, Max had not gotten to bed and had fallen asleep at her desk. She was awoken suddenly at 4am when Luke burst into her office.

“Max! You need to come out here and see this.” 

Max stood quickly, shaking the sleepy fog as she followed him out to the monitors. On the screen, the protestors had started two fires which were burning brightly in front of the gates. They had a beaten and dead X6 dragging behind them. From what Max could ascertain, the cross that had been set up before the siege would be used to suspend him. Max had a feeling of dread settle in her stomach. Since the ordinaries had killed Biggs, nothing as public had been done again.

“I’m bringing him in. We have a team on standby don’t we?”

Luke nodded. “I’ll get them to back you up.”

“Thanks. Also get Alec down here too. Let him know what’s going on.” 

Luke turned back around to the desk as Max began her walk to the gates. When Max saw the gates come into view, she noticed the presence of transgenics behind her. Max strode purposefully towards the gates, stopping a metre in front of them and noticed the ordinaries had already tied ropes around the dead transgenic in preparation for tying him up.

“Let him go,” Max said, her voice dangerously low but exceedingly clear. 

The leader of the group stepped toward Max and she heard the guns from the people behind her raise and cock. He stopped moving and glared at her.

“You are all scum!” he spat. 

Max took a deep breath, trying to contain her anger. She needed to resolve this situation, needed to get back the body of a fallen comrade. Max opened her mouth to speak but the words died on her lips as two police cars rounded the corner and headed straight for them. As they pulled to a stop on the other side of the unruly mob, several officers stepped out of the cars with their weapons at the ready.

“Stand down!” a voice called out. 

No one moved and Max was bristled that they were seen as the enemy until Detective Clemente stepped out from behind the car door.

“I said, stand down! Drop the kid now!” 

The leader’s smug grin dropped from his face and he whirled around to face the Detective.

“What? Are you standing up for these pieces of trash?” he yelled angrily. 

Clemente took another step forward. “Place your weapons on the ground now and move away.” 

Max signalled for her own people to lower their weapons. If Clemente was going to try and broker a peace, Max was not going to stand in his way.

“No!” the leader screamed raising his weapon. 

Detective Clemente did not hesitate as he fired his weapon. The man fell instantly and Clemente then turned his weapon towards the rest of the mob.

“Why are you standing up for them?” an angry woman yelled. 

Clemente turned toward her. “This is not about sides, this is about the law and I am an officer of the law. A person has been murdered and despite what any of you may think marshal law does not apply here. I want all of you to lower your weapons and move away.”

Slowly, one by one, the mob lowered their weapons and several officers moved forward and handcuffed the group. A police van drove around the corner and they were moved into it. Max signalled for several transgenics to move forward and collect the body now lying on the ground. They cut the ropes and carried the fallen transgenic inside. As they moved past her, Max gave a small nod to Clemente who responded in kind. He then turned away and sat in the nearest police car. The engine started and the car followed the others as they moved off in the direction of the police precinct. Max turned around and followed the team inside, nodding her head at the sentries.

When Max reached Command there was a small crowd there. Word had already passed around about the situation and they were angry. Max saw Alec standing before them trying to calm them down. Zack, Zane, Krit and Jondy stood off to the side watching the crowd and Max gave them a small nod before coming to stand beside Alec. The crowd quietened as Max stood before them.

“Did they kill one of us?” a man standing up the back asked. 

Max nodded sadly. “Yes. I think he was dead before we were even aware of the situation.” 

Before Max could give any information, a woman off to the right started sobbing uncontrollably and she slowly sank to the ground. Alec moved toward her and knelt down, putting a hand on her shoulder. A large X5 in front of Max spoke up.

“I say we get a team together and go out and find the son of a bitch that did this!” he said, largely addressing the crowd before him. Max shook her head and narrowed her eyes.

“No, we won’t lower ourselves to their standards. We will not be the monsters they assume us to be. Now, Seattle P.D. was here and Clemente has taken the group into custody. They didn’t have to show up and they certainly didn’t need to arrest their own.”

“Bullshit!” the X5 before her yelled. “That is not justice. We can’t let them pick us off one by one!” 

He took a step toward her and Zane noticed Alec stand and turn toward the other X5. His jaw and hands were clenched and his knuckles were white. The other X5 did not seem to notice. Max raised both hands as she tried to calm down the crowd, although her siblings could tell that she was furious and only hanging onto her calm by a thread.

“Let’s all calm down. It’s very early so I suggest everyone go get some sleep and we can have a meeting tomorrow and talk about things then.” 

The X5 continued to shake his head and stepped toward her, reaching out and grabbing one of Max’s forearms.

“I don’t think so,” he began but was interrupted by a low, threatening growl. 

He turned his head and noticed, with surprise, Alec standing six feet away, his entire body screaming out that he was a threat. The X5 only paused for a moment before dropping Max’s arm and furiously storming away. Jondy watched as Max tried desperately to control her anger before turning to the crowd still assembled. Zane saw Alec almost instantly turn back to the woman on the floor as the threat dissipated. He seemed as concerned about the sobbing woman as before - as though he didn’t just threaten the safety of another male.

“Please, everyone go get some sleep. We’ll have more information in a few hours and I’ll keep you informed of what’s going on.” 

Max watched as most of the crowd left to return to their homes and an X5 stepped forward to help Alec pick up the woman from the ground and help her home. 

Max took a deep breath and walked back to her office. She had just sat down when there was a small knock on her door. 

“Come in,” she said, a little strained. 

She wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone. Jondy’s brown hair came into view as she poked her head around the door. After seeing Max smile at her, the rest of her body followed and she sat in a chair opposite Max.

“So, what was that?” Jondy asked with a raised eyebrow. 

Max sighed. “I think it was an X6. I didn’t recognise him though so I have no idea who he is.” 

Max placed her elbows on her desk. Jondy shook her head at Max and smiled lightly.

“I meant Alec,” she said watching Max carefully. Max looked startled and confused.

“Huh?”

“You know, the growling thing?” Jondy questioned but Max continued to look confused.

“He growled?” 

Jondy shook her head and laughed. “You didn’t notice?” she asked incredulously. “When the X5 stepped up to you Alec became defensive. He growled when the guy tried to manhandle you. How could you not have noticed?” 

Max shrugged. “Don’t know. I can handle myself though.”

“I’m not saying you couldn’t. And I think the only reason the guy was able to leave in one piece was because Alec thinks so too. He was defending you.” 

Max only raised her eyebrows slightly and shrugged again. “He’s one of my best friends, as odd as that sounds. I know he has my back, just like he knows I have his.” Max turned her attention back to the paperwork on her desk and Jondy sighed knowing that she wasn’t getting anywhere.

“Alright, well I’m heading back to my place. Shark DNA or not, you should get some sleep, you look like you need it.” 

Max gave her a tight smile in response and Jondy gave a small wave and closed the door behind her.

* * *

Max dismissed the meeting of TC sub-leaders and stood up as she watched them go. There were only six: Dante, who was in charge of housing; Dix, who was in charge of communications; Mole who led the transhumans; An X5, Elliot, who was in charge of X6’s, X7’s and X8’s; Kellie, an X5 medic who kept track of the medical supplies and led her fellow medical workers; and Leita who was running the training programs for TC’s residents. They worked together with Max and Alec to keep the city running. The committee made decisions together though a final decision had to be made by Max and Alec who, surprisingly, managed to agree on most things.

Max tried to ignore the irritation growing inside of her because of Alec. He had been fidgety during the entire meeting and Max had to concentrate harder just to ignore him. Max turned to leave when she saw Elliot re-enter the room. Before she had a chance to talk with him, Alec grabbed her firmly by the arm and led her away from Command. They had walked about half a block before Max roughly pulled out of his grasp.

“What the hell is your problem?” Max asked angrily as Alec turned toward her glaring.

“I need to get you somewhere safe,” Alec said, grabbing her arm and pulling her further along the block. She pulled her arm out again.

“I am safe. TC is safe. What is wrong with you?” Max spat, stepping back from him. Alec let out a frustrated groan.

“Max! You’re going into heat. I’ve been able to smell you for a day and I honestly thought you would have taken off by now. Based on Elliot’s reaction to you during the meeting, I’d say others are starting to notice too. If I don’t get you somewhere safe, you are going to be surrounded by X5 males.” 

Alec stepped forward but stopped mid-grab and looked over Max’s shoulder.

“Hey Max,” Elliot began flirtatiously. 

Max felt a pull in her stomach that she had felt over the last day but had ignored. She turned toward Elliot but Alec stood in front of her. “I thought we could go over some of the numbers. It would be good if you could re-check my calculations.”

“Back off Elliot,” Alec said warningly. “Stay away from her.”

“She’s not yours. She can go wherever she wants to,” Elliot replied, his gaze directed at Max and the implications obvious. Max felt a flush through her body and was mentally scolding herself for not recognising what was happening sooner. Alec stepped menacingly toward Elliot.

“When you wake up, find Max’s sisters and tell them what happened,” Alec said, a small part of him relishing at the confused look on Elliot’s face before Alec punched him hard in the face and he sunk to the ground. 

Alec quickly turned around and grabbed Max, pulling her toward her apartment. Alec had to knock out only two guys before he found himself opening the door to Max’s apartment and pushing her inside. She protested as he shoved her into her bedroom and locked the bedroom door. Max pounded her fists on the door and Alec leaned his head upon it, taking a deep breath.

“Alec, why are you doing this?” Max yelled, pounding on the door. 

Alec gave a deep sigh. “Max, you didn’t seem to be noticing what was happening but I know you. You would not have been happy when your heat was over. I had to get you somewhere safe before all the guys in TC were affected by the Alpha female going into heat.”

“It doesn’t seem to be affecting you,” Max snorted. Alec closed his eyes and tried to relax his hands from the tight fists they were clenched in.

“Max, I am trying so hard here and I have been for over 24 hours now. Now please stop talking,” Alec said tightly trying his best to ignore the woman on the other side of the door.

Krit and Syl walked into Command and stopped talking immediately. Mole and Dix were standing off to the side as Kellie did her best to tend to the three men in front of her.

“What happened?” Syl asked as Jondy appeared behind her. Kellie looked over at Syl.

“Alec,” she stated. 

The three siblings frowned in confusion and Elliot stood, holding gauze to his bleeding nose. “Max has gone into heat. Before he decked me, Alec told me to find Max’s sisters and let them know what had happened.” 

Krit laughed at the men.

“And you guys took on Alec when Max was in heat? Come on guys, surely the danger outweighs the hormones.” Krit continued to laugh at the now scowling men and the smiling Dix, until he felt Syl hit him.

“Does anyone know where Max is now?” Syl asked and they shook their heads in unison. “Come on, let’s go find them.” 

Jondy nodded and they walked out of Command, bumping into Brin and Zane on the way. Syl quickly grabbed Brin’s arm and pulled her along. They could faintly hear Zane’s laughter as he walked into Command while they walked away, searching for Max.

When they reached Max’s apartment, they could hear Max yelling in frustration and banging on a door. Syl threw open the door and was met with the sight of Alec sitting on Max’s couch with his hands over his ears as he rocked back and forth. Alec looked up at them and his red-rimmed eyes showed relief.

“I am so glad to see you. I don’t know how much longer I could’ve dealt with this.” He stood up quickly and addressed Syl. “Someone should go in there with her and make sure she doesn’t get out another way and someone else needs to watch this door. When I get back to Command, I’ll try and find some more females to help,” he said quickly. He gave one last glance toward Max’s door. “Look after her,” he said to her sisters. 

He received nods from all three and a smile from Jondy as he walked out her front door. Walking down the stairs he saw another X5 climbing them. He stood still and gave a low growl, warning the other X5 of the danger he was in. The man briefly paused before attempting to pass him anyway. Alec quickly punched him out and dragged his body toward Command.

“Alec!” Kellie complained as he walked in dragging an unconscious man. “Do you have to render them all unconscious?” she asked. Alec passed the man to Zack and Mole as he shrugged.

“I gave them all a fair warning. It’s not my fault they didn’t listen.” 

Elliot stood and glared at him. “You seemed to take pleasure in hitting me.” 

Alec just glared back. “You were given fair warning and you still tried to get to her. I told you to stay away.” 

He turned to the two X5 females in the room. “Get over the Max’s place and keep watch on the door. And make sure you lock it.” They nodded before running quickly out of Command.

“You look like crap Alec. Maybe you should get some sleep,” Zane said looking closely at Alec. Alec shook his head.

“Nah, I just have a headache. It‘s getting somewhat better now that I don’t have to listen to Max yelling and banging on the door.” Alec sat down and rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hands. Zane and Zack sat down at the conference table with him.

“How long has she been in heat for?” Krit asked.

“A few hours,” Elliot said.

“A day and a half,” Alec said simultaneously. Krit looked between the both of them.

“Oh. Well, I didn’t notice until a few hours ago.” 

Elliot got up and moved to leave Command with the other X5’s.

“Stay away from her guys,” Alec warned neither looking up from his hands nor turning around. He was met with a few grumbles as they left. Zane smiled.

“So, a day and a half huh?” he said to Alec. Alec looked up at him.

“Yeah, I was sure she would have holed herself up by now, but she didn’t even seem to notice,” Alec said with frustration. “Elliot was so jumpy during the meeting so I knew she had to get out of there.” 

Kellie scoffed from across the room.

“Elliot was jumpy?” she said with a small laugh. “I thought Max was going to deck you for being so jittery. Apart from the occasional glance he threw her way, I didn’t notice anything.” 

She finished packing her bag and picked it up offering Alec a small laugh before departing Command for the med bay and leaving him to roll his eyes. 

Alec stood slowly and began walking toward his office and he was at the door when he heard someone call his name. Turning around he saw Bugler walk over to him. Bugler was about to speak when Alec heard grumbling sounds and looked up to see a group of X5’s moving toward him. They stopped at the conference table leaving a small distance between Alec and themselves. Alec raised an eyebrow.

“Can I help you guys?” Alec asked. 

An X5 named Ryan stepped forward. He had been keeping an eye on Alec from the moment he had gotten to TC. Alec had unintentionally gained status as an Alpha at Manticore and Ryan had watched as history repeated itself at TC. Ryan saw Alec as a good solider when it suited him and a disgrace the rest of the time. He had been disgusted that Alec had given his authoritative position up to a woman and worse still, an ‘09er. Ryan didn’t have anything against Max, but he thought if Alec was going to keep an Alpha status, he may as well live up to it. If not, he should relinquish it.

“We want Max,” Ryan stated. 

Alec turned so that his body was facing the group and Zack stood slowly from the table.

“Excuse me?” Alec said.

“We want Max,” Ryan repeated. “You’re the one protecting her. A few of us have been there and been turned away by those inside on your orders.” 

Alec stood still with his mouth agape. He noticed that a few of the group were sporting bruises and Ryan had a developing black eye.

“I’m sorry, what exactly are you saying?” Alec finally asked, eyeing the group before him. 

Ryan turned back and received subtle nods from the group. He turned back to Alec. “We want Max and we’re willing to go through you to get her.”

“Well, when you put it that way, absolutely not. Are you kidding me?” Alec said incredulously.

“She doesn’t belong to you. She’s not yours to protect,” Ryan said angrily. 

Alec visibly darkened and his head tilted down slowly as he looked up at them. Most of them noticed that he was asserting his dominance and they knew that the only way to get around it was to challenge Alec.

“I suggest you all go wait this out. If you still want her in a few days then you can come back and ask her yourself. Until then, stay away from her.” 

Alec’s voice became low and threatening. A few of the group looked unsure but Ryan stood his ground, not backing down from Alec’s challenging stare.

“Ryan, back the hell down before I make you,” Alec challenged. 

Krit had been moving along the length of Command until he reached Alec’s side. He slowly put out his hand and grabbed Bugler, pulling him quietly away from Alec. Krit knew Alec wouldn’t hurt him but he worried that if Alec had to fight it out, he would worry about the little guy and lose focus.

Ryan gave a small, wry smile and slowly dropped into a fighting stance. Alec paused. So he wanted to fight this out. This fight would not only be for Alpha status, it would also be for the right to protect Max and that was something Alec was not willing to give up to anyone, especially not someone like Ryan.

“Ryan, trust me. Walk away now while you can,” Alec growled watching him carefully. 

Ryan closed the gap between them with little effort and lunged out. Alec dodged the blow and returned with one of his own. Zane watched as the two X5’s traded blows and it was obvious they had different strengths. Like Zack, Ryan had been built for strength whilst Alec had speed and agility on his side, a physique better suited to an assassin. Alec gave a couple of quick blows to Ryan’s chest but was stopped with a well aimed blow to the head. 

Alec moved back and looked at Ryan. Ryan let out another round of attacks and whilst Alec managed to cause him some damage, Ryan grabbed his arm as Alec led with a blow and twisted it, a sickening pop heard around the room. Zane moved forward to help but Zack put a hand on his shoulder.

“Let him finish this,” he whispered and reluctantly Zane nodded. 

Zack understood what was happening on an instinctual level and knew that the shift in power would be dramatically changed if Zane stepped in to help. Zane wouldn’t understand the repercussions of his actions but the others would.

Alec pulled his injured arm back and glared at Ryan who had a smug look on his face. Alec raised both eyebrows jovially and launched another series of blows, ignoring the pain in his now dislocated arm and quickly breaking Ryan’s leg from behind, dropping him to the floor and putting a foot to his throat. 

“Next time you injure me, make sure it’s more permanent. I won’t spare you again. Now get the hell out of Command and stay the hell away from Max or I’ll make sure your leg isn’t the only thing broken.” Alec growled dangerously. 

He released him as a few of the group members moved forward to help Ryan stand. Once they had walked out of Command, Alec looked to Zack who walked forward and grabbed his shoulder. Alec pushed into his hand and another pop was heard as his shoulder slipped back into place.

“Thanks,” Alec said, “And thanks for letting me finish.” 

Zack gave him a small smile. He wasn’t sure how he felt about giving up his power to protect Max to Alec but he supposed it couldn’t have been to anyone better. It had been Zack’s role to protect all of those in the unit and he hadn’t always succeeded. Besides, if it came down to it, Zack could always challenge him “You’re looking after our baby sister, so we’ll look out for you.” 

Alec nodded in return and turned to Mole. “You and Dante go check on the girls and make sure they are alright. Those guys had bruises and they undoubtedly gave some back. Dix, put a call through to Joshua and ask him to go over when he has finished with the kids. If anyone needs me, I’ll be dealing with requisition forms.”


	5. Chapter 5

Three days later, talk of the fight between Alec and Ryan had become almost non existent. Max returned to her office almost as though nothing had changed.

“What happened to you?” Max asked as she walked past the conference table and noticed Alec’s bruises and his favoured arm. The bruises had mostly faded, now a yellow colour, and the pain in his shoulder was a dull ache; a few more days and he’d be as good as new.

“Fell down some stairs,” Alec replied nonchalantly. 

Max raised an eyebrow. “You fell down stairs? With the cat DNA and all?” 

Alec saw Zane and Krit look over at him and he noticed several people, including Jondy and Zack, waiting for his response.

“Maxie, cat DNA or not, accidents happen. I just didn’t put my hands out in time, that’s all,” Alec replied, ignoring them all. 

Max shrugged. “Okay.” 

Max walked into her office. Zane looked at him questioningly and Alec resolutely shook his head.

* * *

Max sat on top of her building later that night - it was early hours of the morning and the city was quiet. Max heard a footstep behind her and turned as Jondy sat beside her.

“Hey,” Max said softly.

“Hey,” returned Jondy. “Guess you’re glad your heat is over, huh?” 

Max nodded. “Oh, yeah. Thanks for being there by the way.”

“No problem. I’m just glad I was there to help.”

“Well, I’m glad that all of that female protection scared away the men.”

“Do you believe Alec fell down the stairs?” 

Max looked at her and rolled her eyes. “Of course not. He was probably doing something illegal that he is going to get in trouble for later on anyway.” 

Jondy smiled. “Do you wanna know how it happened?” 

Max looked over at her surprised. “You were there?” 

Jondy shook her head. “Nope but Zack, Zane and Krit were.”

“Tell me he wasn’t fighting again. I’ll kill him if he was,” Max said a little dejected.

“Kind of.” Jondy ignored Max’s surprised expression. “He was challenged Max. An X5 led a group that called Alec out. They wanted something that he was protecting and he refused to give it up. Took a hell of a beating but Alec broke the guy’s leg and sent them packing.” 

Max sighed. “Trust Alec to get caught up in something stupid; I knew he hadn’t fallen down the stairs. That was just a lame excuse.”

“Max, he doesn’t want you to know about it,” Jondy said seriously. Max turned to her perplexed. “No, Max, promise me you won’t say anything. He has gone to great lengths to cover this up, so please just let it be.” Max turned back to the city.

“It better not have been something stupid like his stereo.” 

“You think he went to that much trouble for a stereo?” Max shrugged and Jondy sighed. “It was you, Max. Alec set up a protection detail while you were in heat, made sure no one came round to bother you and when the guys were ‘turned away’, they went to Alec. He wouldn’t let them have you Max and it’s the only reason you were left alone. Alec told them not to go near you again or he would kill them. Word spread pretty quickly and we didn’t have any problems keeping you safe after that. But Alec also made it clear that no one was to tell you.”

“Though you are,” Max said smiling at her sister. Jondy shrugged.

“Max, he didn’t have to do that. But he helped you anyway. I wanted you to know what he did.”

“Well, he’s one of my best friends. I’m actually surprised Zack didn’t do anything.”

“It wasn’t his fight Max and I think one day you’ll realise why. Zack’s our brother and he has done a great job of protecting us from all he could our whole lives. But it won’t always be his fight and this time it was Alec’s.” 

Jondy looked over at her sister, trying to figure out what she was thinking but Max sat impassively watching the city. As they sat there, the two sisters watched the sun rise over the sleepy inhabitants of the city.

* * *

Alec sat at his desk looking at the blueprints for another heist when there was a knock on his door. He briefly looked at the clock on the wall and sighed. It was nearing midnight and he still had a lot of work to do. He looked back at the blueprints on his desk.

“Yeah,” he said, without looking up. His eyes darted across the page, taking in every detail and memorising it.

“You wanna get a drink?” Krit asked. Alec looked up from the blueprints to see Krit, Zane and Zack standing in the doorway.

“Uh,” he began, “maybe later. Still have to get this heist sorted or Maxie will kick my ass.” 

His trademark smirk appeared. Krit led the others into Alec’s office and peered over the blueprints, his eyes skimming over them.

“B and E?” Krit asked as Zack and Zane looked over the blueprints as well. Alec raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah,” he said a little warily, “Seems fairly straight forward. Shift change every four hours. Cameras, alarms, etc. Nothing we can’t handle.”

“Then why not come out with us? Leave the rest of this til tomorrow,” Zane asked. Alec’s brow furrowed a little and he felt like he was being played.

“You’ve met Max right? Your sister? She will kill me if I don’t have the plans finalised by morning.” 

Krit shrugged. “Eh, you could take her down easily,” he said as he sat in the chair across from Alec. 

Alec frowned. “I never said I couldn’t. What is this about guys?” 

Zack stood stoic across from him, Manticore mask firmly in place. Zane looked at Krit. It was his idea and his big mouth that was making the man suspicious. Krit just looked at Alec. Alec watched them warily as a silence filled the room.

“Well, this has been fun… I think you guys know where the bar is. Tell Angel I sent you down there and she’ll take care of you. I’m gonna finish up here and if you’re still down there when I’m done, I’ll have a drink with you. Okay?” 

Krit looked up at the other two and shrugged. “Sure, see you down there soon!” 

The three of them walked out of his office. Alec shook his head and went back to the blueprints.

When they closed the door behind them, Zane punched Krit in the shoulder.

“You made him suspicious!” Zane said, ignoring Krit’s frown. “Gee! You’d think you weren’t specially trained as a solider from birth.”

“Hey! It’s not my fault. He’s pretty good at reading people. This could have been a hit and miss. At least he is coming down later!”

“But Max might not be there later! You know how she is.” 

The brothers stopped as the girls came out of Max’s office arguing quietly but stopped when they saw the guys.

“Syl blew it!” Jace said, ignoring Syl’s protests. “Max got suspicious. Said she may come down later after she has finished the housing.” 

“Sounds familiar,” Zane said, glaring at Krit. The group gave a collective sigh.

“Let’s go get a drink and come up with plan B,” Zack said, walking toward the bar.

* * *

Syl was sitting and talking with Max when she glanced up and saw Alec enter the bar.

“I’m going to get another round Sis,” she said. 

Max smiled and looked toward the dance floor, watching the transgenics and transhumans dancing. Syl reached the bar and, turning to make sure Max wasn’t watching, snuck into the shadows where Krit was waiting.

“Damn! Took him long enough,” Krit said frustrated. Syl shrugged.

“At least he came,” Syl said. 

They watched as Alec said something to Max and she rolled her eyes. He then sat at the table and Alec began gesturing over the table.

“Is he seriously talking about work?” Krit said exasperated.

“Well, they didn’t know this was a date,” she said sarcastically. 

Max started nodding at something and frowned looking up. She put her arm on Alec’s and said something in a low voice. He immediately stiffened and they both began looking around the room.

“Uh, oh,” Krit said. 

He watched as Alec’s eyes looked around the room. He suddenly stopped and closed his eyes with a pained expression as he realised it had been a set up. He gave a deep sigh and stood, quickly muttering an excuse to Max before picking up his jacket and walking quickly out the door. Syl watched the confused look cross Max’s face before a sad look settled.

“Damn it, we’ve been made!” Syl said. “Alright, you’re my cover. We better get the beer and head over there before Max figures it out.” 

Syl sighed and they picked up a pitcher of beer before heading over to Max’s table.


	6. Chapter 6

* * *

“Alright. Everybody knows the plan?” Alec asked. The five sitting around the table nodded. Dalton was the youngest there and Max had finally cleared him for this mission. “Good, let’s move out.” 

Sam came up behind Alec and started folding up the blueprints. 

“We’ll be back by dinner!” he said with a smirk.

“See that you are,” Max said from her office doorway. He nodded in her direction. 

The six soldiers moved out to the garage. They had kept the police van that they had acquired during the raid and a few of TC’s inhabitants had gotten together, outfitting it especially for ops. Alec started the engine and moved the van to the back entrance to TC. It was mostly covered and not many people knew it was there. The ride to the warehouse had been fairly silent and Alec was not used to silence.

“So, who wants to play eye spy?” he asked. He was met with silence. “Okay…” 

He looked in the rear view mirror and saw the five of them sitting stoically in the back, each one looking at his hands. 

“Come on guys. You look like you’re going to a funeral.” Dalton looked up and smiled.

Once they reached the warehouse, they moved into position. Three trucks were parked in the loading bay. The aim of the mission was to disable the guards inside and take the trucks. Once the trucks made it back to TC, they would be unloaded quickly and the trucks left on the other side of town. Alec snuck up to the building. Using field signals, he issued Bullet to take two others and go round one side of the open roller doors whilst he went in with the others. Alec moved to the entrance and sensing no immediate danger they moved in. His night vision enabled him to see four guards sitting in the office, a small light on. The transgenics slowly crept inside.

Halfway into the warehouse, Alec sensed it. He stopped and looked up at the walkway and saw a slight movement. Not wanting to take the risk he yelled, “Fall back.” Some lights were instantly switched on as the warehouse lit up. The four guards stood and Alec realised they were Familiars by their stance.

“Shit!” he yelled. 

He saw the five transgenics move toward the exit, only to be blocked by a Familiar. Alec quickly scanned the room. He counted eight Familiars. The transgenics slowly backed up until they were in a somewhat tight circle back to back.

“Alright, eight hostiles. This won’t be easy but it is doable. Take them down with as much force as possible and don’t hold back; use your training.” He gave a quick glance at Dalton who was by his side. To his credit, he looked ready for a fight.

The transgenics waited for the Familiars to get in close before attacking. One of the X5’s took down a Familiar almost straight away. As each battled, Alec failed to notice White step out of the shadows. White surveyed the room and took in each battle before him. He smiled when he spotted 494. He was taking on two Familiars but was staying close to a boy. The Familiar that the boy was fighting moved him slowly away from Alec and White took his chance. He moved quickly across the warehouse floor. As the Familiar went down, White spun the boy around and cocked the gun.

Alec heard a gun cock and turned instantly. Dread filled him when he noticed Dalton was gone. He snapped the neck of a Familiar and kicked the other one away turning to find Dalton. His heart almost stopped when he saw White with a gun cocked to Dalton’s head, smiling maniacally. 

“No!” Alec yelled with such ferocity that the warehouse instantly stilled, the transgenics slowly moving away from their opponents. White continued to smile.

“494, what a pleasure to see you, I’m glad you could stop by. I think we have a little unfinished business.”

“Let him go, White.” 

“I’ll make you a trade. I’ll let them go, if you stay.”

“Done!” 

White shook his head. “Ah, so predictable. What would your girlfriend say?” 

Alec let out a deep growl. “She’d kick your ass!” Alec replied dangerously. 

White looked down at the transgenic he held hostage. He lowered the gun to the boy’s side and pulled the trigger. Dalton cried out and crumpled almost straight away.

“You bastard! You said you would let them go!”

White threw the crumpled form of Dalton toward the remaining transgenics. Bullet blurred forward and grabbed Dalton, pulling him toward the safety of their group.

“So I did,” White responded. “We’ll just have to see if 452 will come now that we have you.” 

Alec stood taller. “She won’t come,” Alec replied, knowing the other transgenics would hear his response and pass it on to Max. He didn’t want her anywhere near this warehouse. “She’s not going to risk the lives of others for one person. I’m expendable.” 

From his position, Bullet frowned slightly. He didn’t know Max well but he was sure she would come for Alec. He would have put money on it. He understood that Alec was asking him to tell Max what he said, though he doubted Max would listen. White just smiled and shook his head. 

“I know you’re lying, 494. 452 will come for you above everyone else. In fact, I’m counting on it.” 

He waved his hand and three tasers hit Alec, two in the chest and one in the back. Alec gritted his teeth as he fell to his knees, determined not to cry out in pain. White walked over to Alec and kicked him in the chest, pushing him to the ground. He placed a foot on Alec’s chest and looked to the transgenics who were staring at him horrified.

“Better get home children,” He pointed the gun at Alec and shot him in the chest. They cringed as pain escaped through Alec’s gritted teeth, knowing that several ribs had just been shattered. It was by no means a fatal shot but it might end up that way if they couldn’t find a way to help him. 

White looked back at them. “Take a message back with you. Tell Mummy that Daddy won’t be home tonight.” He pointed the gun at Alec’s shoulder and pulled the trigger again. 

“Run along,” he said smiling maliciously. 

The transgenics gave Alec one last look before the five of them blurred out the door. Ames White pointed his gun at Alec’s fallen form. 

“Chain him up,” he told his Familiars, “We have unfinished business.”

* * *

Bullet gunned the van, driving as fast as he could back to base. Silence filled the vehicle as each person tried not to remember Alec in the state he was in.

“How is he?” he yelled.

“He’ll be fine. It went straight through and I don’t think it hit anything major. He’ll need medical care but he should be fine til we get back.” 

Bullet nodded and frowned, trying to think of what he would tell Max. He didn’t bother with the back entrance. He drove straight through the crowd at the front gates, flashing his headlights to let the sentries know he was friendly. He pulled in as close as he could to Command.

* * *

Max sat at the conference table with all her siblings except Jace. They were going over the housing situation with Dante.

“We got wounded,” Dix said from the monitors. 

He used his radio to call for medics and Max felt her stomach drop. She stood slowly as four transgenics ran in carrying a wounded Dalton. Max started to panic when she realised Alec wasn’t there. Two medics rushed forward to assess the situation as Bullet ran to the conference table.

“It was a trap,” he said almost breathlessly. “White was already there. Alec told us to fall back but it was too late. We tried to fight as best we could but White came out of nowhere and grabbed Dalton.”

“Where is Alec?” Max asked, aware that the panic was evident in her voice. Her siblings looked at her and saw the raw emotions scattered across her face.

“White traded Dalton back for Alec,” Bullet said. 

Max dropped her head and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. When she looked up, her Manticore mask was firmly in place.

“Mole, get together a team, we need…” Max began but was but off by Bullet.

“Max! There’s more. Alec wanted us to tell you not to come. White said he was using him as bait to get you. Alec said not to come for him. And before we left, Alec was already in a bad way. When White traded Dalton over, he got his Familiars to shoot Alec with tasers. He was shot by at least three before he went down and White then used his own gun and started shooting Alec. He was shot at least twice, though he was still alive when we left. White said to give you a message. He said ‘Tell Mummy that Daddy won’t be home tonight’.” 

Everyone turned to look at Max. She was staring at Bullet with a blank look. 

“You did well. Get to the med bay and get yourself checked out.” Bullet gave a hesitant nod before running to the med bay.

“What do you want to do Max?” Syl asked. She was a little disturbed by the blank look that had taken over Max’s eyes. Max seemed to ignore her as she turned around to Mole.

“Still got that C4?” Max asked. 

Mole reluctantly drew out a duffle bag from under his desk and passed it to her. She placed it on the conference table and began walking to her office.

“Max what are you going to do?” Zack asked.

“I’m going to give White what he wants,” she replied as she walked into her office. Zack stood.

“Which is?” he yelled after her. 

Max walked back out of her office putting her jacket on and carrying her Jam Pony satchel. She placed her bag on the table.

“Me,” she replied calmly as she opened the duffel bag and began assembling the C4 with ease. Zack grabbed her wrist. She looked up at him with cold eyes. 

“Let go of me Zack,” she threatened calmly.

“Are you insane?” Zack asked still holding onto her wrist. 

“Let go of me Zack,” she reiterated once again. 

The blank look remained on her face and anger flashed in Zack’s but he reluctantly released her. She continued to calmly put together each piece of C4, placing the prepared pieces in her satchel.

“Max, do you even have a plan?” Krit asked quietly from his place beside her. Without pausing she replied.

“I’ll offer a trade. Me for Alec. Once Alec is outside with you guys, I’ll blow it.” Everyone sat in silence. She finished loading her bag and placed the detonator in front of Krit.

“On my signal, blow the place and I’ll try to be as far away as possible. You’ll take the van with you. It is fully stocked and I’ll take my bike. If I make it out, I’ll meet you here. As soon as it blows get the hell out of there. Do not, and I repeat, do not stay behind for me. Your priority is to get back here as quickly as possible.” She looked at every person around the table.

“Max, there has to be a better way,” Zack pleaded. She stared at him through blank eyes.

“This is the plan. You don’t have to be involved. The mission is to get Alec back here ASAP. Is that clear?” Everyone nodded.

“Alec will be okay,” Jondy offered. Max looked over at her.

“I know he will be. Or the C4 won’t be White’s only problem.” 

Jondy was surprised by the coldness to her voice; she may not have seen Max in years but she had gone beyond soldier mode into something much scarier. Max turned to Dix who was seated behind her, his mouth open wide.

“Comms?” she asked. 

Dix looked over at Mole who nodded. He withdrew a box of Comms from the desk drawer and handed them to Max. She placed it in the centre of the table and pulled out one for herself fastening it in her ear. She turned back toward Mole.

“You’re in charge til Alec gets back. Dix, you’re 2IC. Prep the medical staff and make sure they have everything they need including blood donors. Let them know he has been shot at least twice and there may be more trauma by the time he gets here.” Mole and Dix nodded. 

Max turned back to the table. 

“Let’s go,” she said, picking up her satchel and walking away from Command without waiting for them to follow.


	7. Chapter 7

* * *

“This is a bad idea, a very bad idea,” Jondy said to the others in the van.

“Look, she has asked us to do this. If we try to interfere it could get her killed,” Krit replied from the passenger seat. Zack snorted.

“She is going to get killed anyway. Even Manticore couldn’t put together a blown up transgenic.” Zack’s voice was bitter and angry. He was gripping the steering wheel tightly with both hands, knuckles turning white.

“Listen. She wanted us to get out of here ASAP, get Alec back to base right?” Zane began. “If she is injured from the blast, she may not be able to get back herself. I’ll stay behind and wait for her. If she doesn’t make it out, at least I can take her bike back.” 

The others nodded and a small silence filled the van as they watched the taillights of the motorcycle in front of them.

“Do you think he’s still alive?” Syl asked quietly as she looked up at Zane who was sitting across from her. He gave her a small reassuring smile.

“I haven’t known him for long but I don’t think White would have killed him if he were bait. White is probably just torturing him for information,” Zane replied soothingly.

“And he won’t give anything up. He was too badly tortured by Manticore and he didn’t give anything up then. Now he has Max to protect. He will die first,” Sam said clearly. “Besides, Manticore taught us to shut down. If you guys can do it, imagine how much better we are with ten extra years of training.” 

The van fell silent as they pulled up a short distance from the warehouse. They watched Max hop off her bike and stride over to the back doors of the van waiting as Zane pulled them open for her. Max spoke, her voice cold and detached.

“You all know the plan and you can hear me through the Comms. Blow it when I tell you.”

“Good luck,” Syl said softly. 

Max gave her a small nod and turned toward the warehouse. The lights were still on and the roller doors open, though from where they sat, none of them could see inside. They would have to rely solely on Max.

* * *

Max walked into the centre of the warehouse. She could see four Familiars standing guard at the exits, though none of them had moved to attack her. Yet. 

“White!” Max yelled, her voice reverberating around the walls. “White!” 

She continued to scan the room, keeping an eye on all of the Familiars. A figure stepped into the light from a darkened doorway.

“452. I would like to say I am shocked but I’m not. 494 almost had me convinced that you wouldn’t show,” White said, a menacing grin on his face. “Guess he was wrong.” Max narrowed her eyes and stared straight at him.

“I’m not here for your games, White. I’m here to trade,” Max said emotionless. “Me for Alec.” 

White laughed. He turned his head to the Familiar behind him and gave a small wave. The man nodded and walked out the door he entered from, only to return minutes later carrying Alec. Max let out a very small gasp. Alec was covered from head to toe in what Max could only presume was his blood. His shirt had been torn and there were burns and cuts all over his torso. One of his arms was broken and a bit of bone had pushed through the skin. His face was almost completely bruised and one of his eyes was swollen shut. A small tear fell down Max’s face.

“This piece of transgenic scum is worth those tears is he?” Max turned to White, her resolve gone and anger in its place.

“I’m offering you a trade White. Me for him.” Her voice cracked and Alec slightly lifted his head at the sound of it. “It’s your choice. Besides, I know where your son is, saw him just last month; quite the gentleman.” 

White in turn snarled at her. “Look around you. You’re trapped. What makes you think I will let either one of you go?” White asked. Max pulled her Jam Pony satchel around and opened the flap, tilting it for White to see.

“It’s called C4. I’m sure you’ve come across it once or twice before. There’s enough here to blow us all to hell.” White let out a loud laugh.

“You’d be blowing yourself and loverboy here along with us.” 

Max glared down at him. “You think I won’t? Try me.” she said, her voice threateningly low. “You get your guys to take him to the loading docks and leave him there. Then you get me. Simple but I need a decision now.” 

Max looked down at Alec and noticed he was unconscious. White paused briefly before ordering his men to take Alec to the loading bay.

Brin and Sam stood by the back of the van on guard. They had spotted the two Familiars on the roof and were watching them for any movement. Zack and Krit had taken up spots nearby the loading docks and Zane was waiting near Max’s bike. Syl and Jondy turned their heads when they heard noise by the loading docks and saw two Familiars dropping Alec on the ground and Zack and Krit blur over to retrieve him.

Jondy opened the medical kit beside her, getting out gauze and bandages in preparation. She looked up when she heard Syl gasp. Following her gaze, she saw Alec as Zack and Krit placed him on the van floor.

“Is he even alive?” Syl asked, her voice choked. Jondy felt his carotid.  
“Barely,” she replied. “Weak and erratic. This is too much blood, even for a transgenic. Syl, we need to find both gunshot wounds and stem the bleeding.” 

Both women began looking for wounds and Jondy was never more thankful that she had studied medicine. She knew it would come in handy one day, though she had barely worked on ordinaries and never on a transgenic. Jondy tuned back into her earpiece as she heard Max cry out in pain. She looked up and saw Zack begin to move toward the warehouse.

“No, Zack. Max left orders. You get this van started and be ready to move. Krit get in.” 

Both men looked at her. Krit submitted with a sigh and Zack glared. 

“Zack, she needs to work this out. I know she’s injured but she’ll make it. She always has. Zane is staying here so he can help her if she needs it.” 

Zack continued to glare but moved around to the front of the van. She turned her attention back to Alec. Surveying the damage once more she looked at her sisters by the doors.

“Guys, get in too. I don’t know if he’ll make it and we need to leave ASAP. Sam, call base and let them know we need two medics on standby for Alec alone. One extra just in case Max’s injuries are serious. We’ll need a number of donors too.” 

Sam nodded and began relaying information whilst Jondy did her best with what she had. 

Seconds later, a gunshot rang out. All seven transgenics jumped. There were five long seconds of silence.

“Now!” Max’s voice yelled out over the Comm’s. 

Krit paused before pushing the button. Jondy saw Alec’s eyes shoot open as an enormous blast was heard, fire filling the warehouse almost instantly.

“Go!” Jondy yelled and the van lunged forward as Zack hit the accelerator.

“Max,” Alec croaked out before fading back into unconsciousness.

* * *

Zane blurred forward. He had been watching the building for any sign of Max and had seen none. As he rounded the building he saw that it backed out onto the water. Seeing no bodies by the building, Zane frantically searched the water, eyes scanning for any foreign objects. There was so much debris that Zane almost didn’t see the long brown hair floating in the water. 

Zane dived off the dock and into the water, ignoring the wood hitting his body as it made contact with the water. With a couple of powerful strokes he reached her body floating face down. Holding her head above the water, he swam back to the shore and pulled her out onto the shoreline. Zane lay her down on the ground and felt for a pulse but found none. Tilting her head back, he quickly began CPR, hoping he wouldn’t lose her. 

After two minutes he felt Max’s chest move and he quickly rolled her as she coughed up a lungful of water. Rolling her back he saw Max open her eyes and look straight at him, calling his name, before falling unconscious. Zane took a quick glance over her body and saw a gunshot wound to her abdomen. The bullet was still lodged somewhere in her body and Zane knew he didn’t have a lot of time.

Lifting her unconscious form up off the ground, Zane carried her to her Ninja. He took off his belt and used it to fasten her hands together around his waist. Kicking the motor into gear, the Ninja sped off, headed for TC.

* * *

TC was abuzz with the news that Alec had been captured by White and that Max had gone after them. The van pulled in and Zack and Krit leapt from it, racing around to the rear as Brin and Sam threw open the doors. A small crowd had gathered but were silenced as Alec’s body was pulled from it; Zack and Krit taking hold of his limp form and moving as fast as they could to the med bay. As the medics on standby saw the damage, several curses were heard. Alec was laid on a table and taken into the operation room, followed closely by Jondy who was filling them in on the injuries she had noted. Though the door closed behind them, their voices carried, especially to those with exceptional hearing.

The main doors opened as Mole and Joshua ran in and Zack stepped forward.

“We’ve got Alec,” he assured them. “He’s got some serious damage though. Jondy said she wasn’t sure if he would make it.”

“Shit!” Mole replied as he surveyed the room. 

Zack, Krit and Syl were standing together, blood staining their clothes. Brin and Sam stood on either side of the doors and Mole had no doubt that their training had kicked in and they were guarding them. There were also two X5’s and three X6’s sitting near the operating doors. Mole assumed they were the blood donors the doc’s had called for.

“Little fella?” Joshua questioned. Zack cast a glance at Syl who stepped forward and put her arm on Joshua’s.

“We don’t know Josh. Max ordered us to blow the building but Zane stayed behind to see if she made it.” Syl replied, her voice breaking slightly and Joshua let out a whimper. 

Zack noticed Sam and Brin move suddenly as they threw open the doors and a drenched Zane rushed in, carrying a limp Max in his arms. Her shirt was stained with blood and her lips had turned blue.

“Doc?” Zane called out. 

Kellie rushed out and saw the situation in the room. She ran back into the operating room and returned seconds later with a table. Zane placed Max on it and Kellie pushed her into the operating room. Zane turned around and faced the others.

“The shot we heard did get her. Still in there somewhere. I found her floating face down in the water. It took me time to revive her and I have no idea how long she was under for.” He ran a hand over his face.

“Well, there is nothing we can do standing around here,” Zack commanded. “Sam, Brin, you guys stay here and keep an eye out. The rest of us are going to change and do what we can to pitch in. I’m sure you have plenty of things for us to do Mole?” 

Mole nodded.

“Alright, let’s change and meet at Command in twenty minutes.” Zack turned to Sam and Brin. “Let us know what happens okay? At least one of us will be at Command.” Both women nodded and everybody moved out


	8. Chapter 8

* * *

Jondy picked up the clipboard from the base of the bed and quickly took in the notes written. She then moved around to the side of Alec’s bed and began checking his vitals. She froze when she saw his body slightly arch and his face scrunch up in pain. Suddenly his eyes flung open and she watched them scan the room before stopping when they landed on her. She smiled.

“It’s okay Alec. You’re in TC. Now you have some serious wounds but I …”

“Max,” Alec croaked.

When he saw her smile falter his heart sank. Something was wrong. He sat up and saw Dalton in the bed across from him with a look of shock on his face. He began tearing the lines off of himself, not hearing Jondy telling him to lie back down. He could feel his whole body and knew it was in a lot of pain. He pushed the pain to the back as he tried to stand, the adrenaline aiding him. Jondy was quickly standing before him.

“I said, lay down Alec! You’re in no condition to be up.”

“Max,” he replied simply but firmly. Once again, Jondy faltered.

“Just let me explain,” she pleaded.

Alec pushed her aside and stood, gritting his teeth in pain. As he began walking he smelt the air; she was here but her scent was weak. He started to panic and moved as quickly as he could out of the doors, ignoring the people in the med bay and heading for the only other operational recovery room.

Sam heard the doors fly open and glanced up in time to see Alec purposefully limp out. She saw the panicked expression on Jondy’s face and sighed. Excusing herself from Kellie, who she was going over supplies with, she followed Alec into Max’s room.

As he pushed open the doors, his eyes landed on the figure on the bed and he stilled. Krit and Syl were standing on opposite sides of the bed, each holding one of her hands. Zane stood at the end of the bed with one hand resting on her covered feet. But Alec didn’t see either them or their surprised expressions. Instead, he limped slowly forward as he took in her pale complexion and closed eyes. Her body lay completely still in the bed. Alec’s mouth opened and then closed. He couldn’t find any words.

Krit slowly lowered Max’s hand and took a step toward Alec. In a quick action that Krit didn’t see coming, Alec grabbed him by the front of the shirt.

“What the hell happened?” he demanded.

Krit saw Jondy and Sam enter behind him and from the expression on his sister’s face she hadn’t gotten the chance to tell him. Krit looked back at Alec. He could see that he was furious but overriding every expression on his face was fear.

“She went in to get you,” he began calmly, “White’s men brought you out to us…”

“You let Max go in alone?” Alec cut in angrily, slightly shaking Krit.

“It wasn’t Max,” Sam said, finally entering the conversation. Alec let go of Krit and turned around to face Sam and Jondy standing behind him. Sam noticed the frown on everybody’s faces but she focused on Alec. He needed to hear what she had to say.

“We were having a meeting with Max when the team came back. As soon as Max found out that White had you, Max was gone and 452 stepped up, she reverted back to her training.”

Alec looked at her confused. He turned back and looked at Max lying on the bed before placing his attention back on Sam. Krit took a step back from Alec.

“When Bullet relayed the message that White sent, 452 was gone as well.” She looked at the absolute confusion on his face as he looked at the floor and tried to make sense of what she was saying. “Her eyes were blank, almost dead. She was like a shell… she didn’t go after her 2IC, Alec, she went after her mate.” Alec’s head shot up and horror was the only emotion displayed.

“What?” he said as he took a wobbly step back and sat in the chair behind him. He put his head in his hands and muttered ‘No’ over and over. When he looked back at Sam, everyone could see the grief written on his face as he asked, “What did she do?”

Sam gave a tight smile and stepped toward him. “She packed her bag full of C4.” Alec’s face displayed horror again as he quickly glanced at Max.

“She ordered us to wait outside while she traded herself in for you. We don’t know exactly what happened after you were brought out, but I think she fought White. Someone shot her and she ordered us to blow the C4.” Alec gave another quick glance to Max. “Our mission was to take you back to TC ASAP. Zane stayed behind, against her orders, and found her in the water outside. He doesn’t know how long she was there for. She has some sort of infection, probably from the water, that her body is fighting off.” Alec put his head in his hands. He shook his head and muttered ‘No’ under his breath again. Syl started to stand.

“Alec?” she asked. She looked him over and knew that he shouldn’t be out of bed. She was surprised he was.

“This shouldn’t have happened!” he said angrily, his eyes filling with tears. He furiously blinked them away. “It should never have happened!”

“You thought it should have been you?” Jace asked from the doorway.

Everyone turned to her in surprise. They hadn’t heard her come in. Alec nodded slowly. Jace walked forward and knelt before him, resting her hands comfortingly on his knees.

“You should have known better,” she said softly.

“No! I turned her away, this shouldn’t have happened. Not to her,” Alec replied shaking his head.

“You turned her away?” Zane said defensively. Alec and Jace both ignored him.

Jace shook her head. “Alec, you should have known that wouldn’t work.”

Alec glared at her. “Yes, it should have. It did with the others. She loves Logan; it was supposed to work!” he yelled.

Jace did not move an inch and just glared back at him.

“It worked with the others because they were only looking for an alpha. Max wasn’t…”

Jace was cut off by Alec angrily standing up, a position that she quickly followed.

“Max didn’t know what was going on! She didn’t understand. I wasn’t going to let the fact that I love her pull her into something that she would regret. And I certainly wasn’t going to put her in a position where she would get herself killed; not when White is on our asses.” The room stood still. Alec gave a heavy sigh before speaking softly. “I didn’t care if it was my life on the line but it should never have been hers.”

He sat down again on the seat behind him. He felt exhausted. His energy had quickly drained away and he could now feel each wound acutely. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, hoping to hold the pain at bay. Jondy moved forward and put a hand on his shoulder.

“Please, let’s get you back to your bed. You shouldn’t be moving around.” Alec looked up at her sharply.

“I’m not going anywhere,” he growled. Jondy removed her hand from his shoulder.

“Fine!” she huffed, “but you are going to finish getting the blood and the meds.”

She turned around and walked out of the room muttering to herself. Alec sighed and closed his eyes. He was too tired.

“So, you love her huh?” Syl asked. Alec opened his eyes and looked across at her.

“Always have,” he replied sincerely. Syl smiled. Alec took a deep breath and looked down at Max’s still form.

“I don’t understand. Didn’t Bullet tell her I didn’t want her to come? I thought I made myself clear,” he looked at Syl for answers, almost pleading with her for answers.

“You did and Bullet told us that. He also told us your condition before he left you, that he doubted you were still alive. But Sam is right, Alec. Max wasn’t there anymore; it was like she was running on autopilot. She was so calm but so cold, even with us. Especially with Zack. We tried to get her to consider another plan but she wouldn’t. If we hadn’t gone, she would’ve taken others with her.” Alec looked down at Max.

“It doesn’t make any sense,” he almost whispered. Syl stood.

“Maybe you should ask her when she wakes up.”

Syl looked at the others and gave a small nod. They all turned and left the room, Syl closing the doors softly as she left. Alec reached out and brushed a lock of hair out of Max’s eyes.

“What did you do Maxie?” he asked softly.

* * *

Jondy had come back earlier and hooked him up but had insisted on moving him to the other side of Max’s bed. She wanted to be able to see him as she walked past and keep an eye on his condition. He had watched over Max for as long as he could but his eyes had grown weary and he fell asleep, his head resting on his arm on the edge of the bed and the other hand sitting over hers.

Max opened her eyes and had to blink a few times before her eyes adjusted to the light in the room. Her hand felt warm and she looked down, only to see another hand over it. She looked up and saw Alec asleep beside her and she closed her eyes, relief flooding through her.

When she had seen him in the warehouse she had seen the damage and hoped that her siblings could get him back to TC quickly enough for him to survive. Obviously they had. Alec sat up when he noticed Max’s breathing change. He looked over at her and she opened her eyes.

“Hey!” she said, giving him a soft smile.

Alec blinked. A series of emotions ran over him and he was sure she had seen each one of them on his face. He ran a quick glance over her features and noted the bruise over her left eye.

“What the hell were you thinking?” he asked angrily. He had surprised himself with the anger and from the look on her face, she hadn’t been expecting it either.

“What?” Max asked incredulously, still somewhat speechless.

“You could have gotten yourself killed. You nearly did!” he said, his voice rising slightly.

Out of the corner of his eye he noticed a couple of people standing still outside the door but he couldn’t have cared less. He needed to get this out. Max sat upright, with some difficulty and glared at him.

“I saved your ass didn’t I? she yelled. “Next time I won’t bother!”

“There might not have been a next time, Max. Come on, C4? That wasn’t coming to my aid that was just suicide,” he yelled.

Max glared. She really wanted to kick his ass. This was how she was thanked?

“I weighed the options and I went with the best one. It got the job done. What the hell is your problem? ‘Thanks’ not in your vocabulary anymore?”

Alec sighed and forced himself to calm down.

“Max,” he said, trying to say something, anything else but failing to find anything appropriate.

“What?” she snapped. Alec took a deep breath.

“Max,” he tried again.

Max felt furious. “Is that all you can say, Alec? My name?” she yelled.

He looked straight at her and stared unflinchingly into her eyes. Max blinked uncomfortably and looked away.

“Why did you do it?” he asked.

“As I said, it was the best option for the desired outcome.” Max looked back at him.

“Max, look at it from an outside point of view. You went alone into a warehouse full of the enemy who are just as strong, if not stronger than you. You didn’t take any weapons or backup. You only took explosives, with the sole purpose of exploding them and no plan of escape. Tell me. Would you have let someone go and implement that?” he asked her.

Max stared at him. “Anything can sound stupid in hindsight Alec. I did what I thought was best at the time and it worked. Stop badgering me about it,” Max said annoyed.

She was annoyed that he was right: it did sound stupid now, but at the time it hadn’t. And it worked didn’t it?

Alec looked at his hands. He was a sucker for punishment. But if what Sam had said was true, then he had to know.

Had to know just who to protect. The lines he had drawn so long ago in the sand were suddenly blurred and he needed to correct them.

“Max, I could have lost you,” he said quietly.

She looked at him as if he had grown two heads. “What? I got through it all right and even if I hadn’t, TC would still have gone on without me. Hell, even if neither of us had made it, Mole and Dix could still run this place.”

Alec sighed and leaned over, touching his forehead to hers.

“Max, I could have lost you,” he reiterated, eyes closed.

His heart hammered in his chest as her felt her hand come up and lay on his cheek.


	9. Chapter 9

* * *

Logan turned away and moved behind the transgenics in the med bay. He glanced up to see Sam looking straight at him. It was still weird how eerily similar they were. Had he not known Max was lying in the hospital bed, he would have thought she was standing beside him in the waiting area. He saw the other transgenics move away from the door, some sitting in the available chairs, others standing, but all silent.

He had come into TC after hearing about the mission that went sideways. He had overheard some X6’s talking outside about it: that Alec had given himself up to White to save the unit he was with and that Max had gone in after him. None of that surprised him. Alec had proven that he could sometimes be reliable and trustworthy and despite Max’s constant consternations, Logan suspected he had always been that way; that the rest had been a façade. That is probably why he had so readily believed the lie that Max was seeing Alec and why Logan had always seen the X5 as a threat.

What did surprise him though was that Max had filled her bag with explosives and traded herself in to White; blowing up the building, herself included, when the deal had been made. To Logan it was just careless. He would have thought Max would have gotten a team together like she usually did. Staked the place out and stormed it, rescuing Alec in the process. 

He had arrived just after the rest of her siblings. Apparently Jondy had called them, letting them know she had woken. Kellie had been telling them that Max had woken up and that it was a good sign but she hadn’t been able to ascertain the situation for herself yet. Logan had started to make a move for her room, only to be stopped by Krit and Zane. They told him that Alec was in there and that the two had some issues to discuss. 

Logan had frowned and been prepared to pass them anyway when he had heard yelling coming from the room, though instead of the usual ‘Max rant’ about Alec’s mistakes, it seemed to be an ‘Alec rant’ about Max’s mistakes. Logan had shown he wouldn’t push through but had remained at the door, watching the two yell at each other. He couldn’t quite hear what they were saying but he watched them. 

When Alec had leaned over, intimately close to Max, Logan had felt anger and jealousy. His only thought was that Max would be as furious as he was about Alec invading her personal space. He waited for the slap or push; anything really. But it never came. Instead, Logan saw her raise her hand and place it on his cheek, closing her eyes. It was then that the pit of his stomach dropped and he knew for certain that he had lost her. Truthfully, he had suspected it for some time. He turned away and replayed his memories of Max, tracing them back as far as her return from Manticore with Alec by her side, wondering where along the way he had lost her. Logan looked back to the first moment he met the younger man and wondered if had ever really had her. He turned to Sam.

“Would you please tell her that I am glad she is feeling better, that I hope she gets well soon,” Logan asked politely. 

Sam looked momentarily shocked and without looking around, she knew each transgenic in the room was listening. She instead opted for nodding mutely.

“I’m going to return to work. You don’t need to tell her I stopped by; just let her know I will contact her if I get any new information,” Logan said almost mechanically. 

Sam had felt the shift in the room. The hostility that radiated from every transgenic in the room upon hearing Logan speak only seconds before had dissipated upon hearing that last request. She realised, as she was sure the others had too, that Logan was really letting Max go this time.

Sam nodded as she watched Logan’s shoulders slump slightly. He gave her a tight smile, the meaning understood, and turned to walk out the door. For some unknown reason, she felt the need to reassure him of Max’s faithfulness.

“If it helps, I don’t think either of them knew this would happen,” she said. Logan stopped but didn’t turn around.

“It doesn’t,” he said simply and walked out the door.

* * *

“Why did you do it?” he asked again, pulling away from her and instantly missing her warmth. “And don’t tell me it was the best plan at the time. Syl told me that you didn’t even listen to any other plans.”

Max thought. Had she? She didn’t remember asking for their ideas, but she didn’t remember them desperately trying to throw them out either.

“I did what I thought would work. I know now it seems crazy,” she said. Alec sighed. “But I knew that the success rate of the mission was high. I needed to get you out of there and I knew that would work.” Alec looked up at her.

“Max, you could have taken a team,” he countered. She frowned at him.

“It would have taken too long,” Max stated.

“You could have done recon, taken a few units and stormed the place.”

“You could have been dead by then; I could have lost the units in the battle,” Max said frustrated. It seemed like she was saying the same thing over and over again.

“But you went in alone.”

“It was what White wanted. It was the only way to get you out without a huge loss of life,” Max said, raising her voice slightly.

“But you nearly lost your life,” Alec pressed.

“It didn’t matter!” Max yelled, “The objective was to get you out alive.”

“What if I was dead?” Alec asked.

“You weren’t. I would have known. And even if you were, I would have blown the C4 anyway.” 

Alec raised an eyebrow. “Why?” he questioned.

“Because I…” 

Max snapped her mouth shut. Her thoughts ran through her head in a jumbled mess. Alec reached over and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Max unconsciously leaned into his palm.

“Tell me,” he asked softly. 

Max closed her eyes and leaned further into the hand now cupping her cheek. A single tear slipped down her face.

“I wouldn’t want to lose you,” Max said finally. 

She opened her eyes and saw him staring at her. He seemed to be searching her eyes for something. He leaned over and stopped just centimetres in front of her face.

“I am going to give you an out,” he said softly. 

Max just blinked. He leaned further in and captured her lips in a soft kiss. It only took Max a couple of seconds and she reached up and pulled his face in closer, crushing his lips with hers. He responded briefly before pulling away from her.

“Max?” he questioned. 

He was afraid she would run; most likely emotionally but possibly physically as well. She looked back at him.

“You’re in love with me,” she stated.

“Yes, I am,” he replied. His training was screaming ‘retreat!’, was yelling at him for leaving himself open and vulnerable.

“How long?” she asked. He took a deep breath and looked at his hands.

“Always,” he answered, looking up at her face. She seemed to consider his answer thoughtfully and he wondered, not for the first time, what exactly was going through her head.

“Why did you want to know the reasoning behind my plan?” she asked. Alec felt like he had dug a hole and was now filling it in on himself.

“Sam told me that you weren’t yourself. She said that you didn’t go after your 2IC; you went after your mate. I needed to know if that was true,” Alec said, watching her face. Max’s brow furrowed.

“But we didn’t mate,” she said confused. 

Alec sighed. He knew this conversation would come up one way or the other. He once again kicked himself for not being prepared for it

“I know, which makes it worse.” Max frowned and Alec elaborated. 

“Max, mating is for life. It brings a connection that is unbreakable. Back at Manticore, it was rare. Couples were either separated, tortured or killed. They couldn’t work together because they always put their mate above the mission. We can’t do that. I’ve tried really hard not to love you but the harder I tried, the more I fell in love with you. It was fine because as long as it was just my life I was risking, it wouldn’t matter. I could never hurt you Max; I’ve always held back, even before I realised I was doing it. But we are leading a city in a war that could last our lifetimes. We can’t afford mistakes and more importantly, I can’t lose you. Tactically, I should’ve left when you first asked me to and stayed away. But you’re my other half and even if I am never yours, my life would have been empty without you as a friend. I should’ve gone but I couldn’t physically make myself.” 

He shifted in his seat. “Either way, we need to talk about what happened with this mission.” 

She tilted her head and looked deep in thought. The silence stretched out and Alec was considering the best retreat options. Max sighed.

“She was right.”

“Huh?”

“She was right. I did go after my mate. I can’t explain it any other way. And I don’t think I want to.” Alec stared at her. “I don’t know where or when but along the way somewhere, I fell in love with you. I do know that I can’t live without you now and I don’t think I’ve been able to for a long time.”

Alec stood. “See, this is dangerous. You can’t risk your life for mine.”

“It would destroy you wouldn’t it?” Max asked softly. Alec sat back down.

“Yes, it really would,” he said honestly.

“Now you know how I feel.” Max looked him straight in the eye. “Look, we can’t worry about what will happen when the moment comes. The moment is here. The question is: what are you gonna do about it?” 

Alec looked at her and she watched flashes of emotions sweep across his face. Suddenly he leapt forward and kissed her, putting all of the emotion he felt into that one kiss. She kissed him back, her fingers making their way into his hair and pulling him closer. He stood and sat on the edge of her bed, allowing her to lean back into her pillows as they kissed. She sighed into his kiss and she felt him smile against her lips. Max whimpered slightly as Alec moved away from her and sat back in his chair. She pouted.

“Max, we’re in the med bay.” 

Max looked into his eyes. “So?” 

Alec smiled. “Max, I love you, but Kellie has been waiting out there since you woke up to check your progress. And I’m pretty sure I’ve seen every one of your siblings at one stage or another.” 

Max had a huge, genuine smile on her face. “What?”

“I love you too,” she said, pulling him in for another kiss.

* * *

Outside the room, Max’s sibling sat around the room in various chairs. Jondy moved away from the door with a huge smile on her face. The others looked at her expectantly.

“Finally!” she said as she sat down. They all smiled and Syl laughed.

“You know it’s gonna be a while before we see her don’t you?” Syl said looking around the room. Some smiled in response as Zane groaned. “Hey, at least they got a happy ending right?” 

Jondy turned around to face her. “No, it’s a happy beginning,” she said with a small laugh, causing Zane to groan again. “It’s a happy beginning.”


End file.
